Mechanism for automatically operating timing mechanism.



H. E. WARREN.-

MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING TIMING MECHANISNI. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30,1914.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

HENRY E. WARREN, OF ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 'WARREN CLOCK COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION 0F MAINE.

MECHANISM FOB AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING TIMING MECHANISM.

Indication of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 1, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that HENRY E. WARREN, a

citizen of the United States of kAmerica,

residing at Ashland, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has invented Improvements in Mechanism for Automatically Operating Timing Mechanism, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to mechanism for performing automatic repeated operations at predetermined time intervals, such as throwing an electric switch, operating valves2 or erforming other service of similar kmd. t consists in a timing apparatus, such as a spring-driven clock, an electric motor, a motor-controller therefor, consisting of adjustable devices operated by the clock to close and open the motor circuit through the motor-controller at dierent predetermined intervals and to energize the motor so as to y f performing the functions mentioned.

A speciiic embodiment of my improvements is illustrated in the apparatus shown in 'the accompanying drawings, in which- Fi ure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a lsi e elevation of a spring-driven clock with my improvements attached thereto;

. F ig. 3 is an enlarged front view of a detail of the time dial, anda cross-section o it;

Fig. fl is a plan view of the same parts as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the mechanism for automatically winding the spring of the clock as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, A represents Yan ordinary sprin -driven clock, B a small electric motor, eit er direct or alternating current, and C is a snap-switch which opens and closes an electric circuit su plying lamps Z or other appliances, when t e stem a. is rotated.

-Reduced motion is transmitted from the motor B by means of the train of gears b, c, 0l, el', c, f, g, to the stem a of the switch C,

so that if the motor runs continuously the diferent kinds r, 1', and .9, s.

switch would alternately be opened and closed at moderately timed intervals. Upon ythe same shaft with the gear f is loosely mounted the gear z. which receives motion from f through the friction-disks i and c which are held in compression against h by the spring-washer Z and nut m, see Fi 5; whereby it will rotate with f until the orce to be transmitted is suflicient to cause the d1sks i and c to slip upon the gear Gear k mesheswith the gear n mounted upon the spring-winding shaft o of the clock. And to maintain the motion of the clock while the spring is being wound, one end of the other end of the spring to the drivingshaft p.

Driven by the clock through the pinion g mounted upon the hour hand sleeve, 1s a gear D which, as shown, is intended to rotate once each week. Carried by the gear D is a dial E, graduated to days and hours. Mounted upon E are adjustable clips of two These clips have projections r and s', respectively', at diii'erent radial distances from the center of the dial E, and serve as electrical contacts. .Mounted upon a pivot t is a contact arm u carrying a flexible brush u', which may be called a contactor and which can be adjusted into the path of either of the series of projecting contact pins s or 1". The contactor arm u may be swung quickly out of the path of one series ofprojectin contacts into the path of the other seriesy the spring-controlled `device consisting of the sliding, rod o, spiral-springrw and the lever w attached to the ivot t. he arm u will be maintained in t e position shown in Fig. l until 'v has' traveled far enough to the left, for the spring fw to exert its pull on the side of a straight line between m and t, opposite to that shown in Fig. 1, when the lever w and the arm to will be quickly thrown to the position opposite to that shown, in which case the contacter a will lie in the path of the projecting contacts 1". Axial sliding motion is given to shaft v by an eccentric mounted upon shaft e upon which, gear f 1s made fast.

Current passes into the motor B from the '65 clock-spring is fastened to shaft o, and the main conductor a through the wire bf, thence through the motor iield and armature and by way of the wire c to the arm u, and its flexible contactor u; and then if the dlal E is in the proper position, through some of the projecting contact pins s or r into the metal parts of the mechanism and thence back to the line al by means of the wire connection e. The relation between the number of teeth in the ears f and is such that the eccentric y m es one-hal a revolution every time the switch .C thrown into. either its open or closed. position, and the arm w is thrown to its opposite position b the spring w a little later than the .switch is thrown. lriction nut m is adjusted,v so vthat gear k will begin to slip at about the time when the spring of the timing mechanism is tightly wound.

The o eration of this mechanism is as follows: Tli o spective times at which, for instance, it is desired to light and extinguish the lamps Z', Z', for each da in the week, or several times, if require during the same day., When the time arrives for the lamps to be lighted, the dial E will have been rotated by the clock until a contact-pin a touches the contacter u', which will close the circuit and the motor B will immediately begin to revolve and will soon throw the switch C so as light the lamps. Shortly afterward, by the movement of the cam y, the motor will open its own circuit by sliding the shaft fu to the left and thus throwing the contacter u, into the path of the cntactsr. In so doing the motor-circuit will be broken quickly so as to avoid arcing at the contactor u. lWhile the switch C is being thrown, the clock will, of course, be wound by means 'of the friction-gear h, the relation between it and a being such as to wind the clock spring f as much as it would be likely to run down between the average intervals oli operation of the switch. When the time arrives tor the lamps to be extinguished, one ci the contacts r will be brought into touch with the contacter u and the motor willy again run suiiiciently lon to throw the switch C, to wind the cloclr-spi'ing-f and then to open its own circuit by throwing the arm u by reason of the movement of the rod o. It will be observed that with this improved device a largegamount of power is made available for the operation of a switch diicult to be moved, without -impeding ,in

any way the action of the clock and without requiring manual winding or other attention. For the purpose of facilitatin the setting of the lighting schedule the lig tin contacts s have not only a circumferentia adjustment on the dial E, but also a radial adJustment, so that the projecting contacts s may, if desired, be located out of the' e clips s and r are set at thev re-l path of the contacter a and thus omit yto in which case 'the switch C wou d be rei placed by a simple gas valve, and the motor B might then receive current from a battery,

I claim:

l. In mechanism for operating power con trolling devices at predetermined intervals, a time indicating apparatus, an individual motor therefor, a time graduated dial upon said indicating apparatus, electrical contacts carried thereby and adapted to be ad justed circumferentially and radially thereof, a circuit closer and anelectric motor which prepares said closer to be engaged by saidelectrical contacts, and thereby supply energy to the motor at predetermined times.

2. In mechanism for automaticallyi'dperat- I ingr service apparatus at predetermined lintervals, a timing device, a plurality ofseries of electric contacts given movement inf'a'; prescribed path by the timing devi'ce`,faj`con tactor projecting into the paths of theisaid series of contacts, a motor actuated bythe contiguity of a contact and the contactor, service apparatus operated by the motor, means operated b circuit establishe between a Contact and the co'ntactor and to stop the motor after completing the operation o the servicer ap paratus and means to move the contactor the motor to open the into the path of another series ofpcontacts to prepare the mechanism for itsneit'operation., d i 3a ln mechanism for automatically operating service apparatus at predetermined intervals, a timing device, a plurality oi? series of electric contacts given movement in a prescribed path by thetiming device, a contactor adapted to be moved into thepath of movement of either series; 'ofeontacts an electric circuit closed bythe contiguity of the contacter with. one of said contacts, a

"motor in the circuit, service apparatus o erated by the meten-.means actuated t e i motor to move the contacter from -thfeapath of one series of contacts to that otaiiother,

and thereby stop the motor, and adjust the contacts, a motor inthe circuit, serviceapparatus operated by the motor, means actuthe spring motor of the timing device, which Vated by the motor to move the contactor is actuated by each operation of the elecrom the path of one series of contacts to tric motor.

that of another, and thereby stop the motor HENRY E. WARREN. 5 and adjust the mechanism for a succeeding Witnesses:

Operation of the service apparatus, and aux- REUBEN L. ROBERTS,

iliary mechanism for restoring energy to FLORENCE A. COLLINS. 

